Unlike the scorching land outside, the Roy Palace is very cool, with its thick walls and domed ceiling successfully blocking the burning heat of the sun.
The butler, leading the way, walked at a leisurely pace, while the black-robed man followed behind, observing the palace's interior.
The walls were carved with reliefs, which vaguely depicted a fierce star beast. In addition, the walls displayed portraits of past emperors, along with famous art pieces from various eras.
Noticing that the black-robed man was interested in the Roy Palace, the old butler smiled as he straightened a lamp stand and said, "When humanity first migrated to this star system, in the most dangerous moments, Roy Palace was the last refuge for all surviving humans."
"But now…" The butler's voice trailed off as he stopped in front of the last emperor's portrait.
This emperor had died two hundred and thirty years ago, and in the two centuries since, Roy Palace had not seen a successor.
The royal family, within the empire, had gradually shrunk into a mere symbol of honor.
At this moment, the previously silent black-robed man unexpectedly spoke, continuing the butler's statement.
"Outside the palace walls, a high-strength explosive-resistant coating was applied, capable of withstanding the bombardment of thirty energy cannons. Even under a joint attack by three S-class star beasts, the walls would hold for over fifteen hours. But, that's just simulated data."
The stream of statistics quickly wiped away any sense of sadness the butler had just started to feel. He stared at the black-robed man behind him, clearly finding it difficult to accept that a child of this age was casually talking about energy cannons and three S-class star beasts.
Then, the "but" at the end of the sentence, as if filled with regret, only added to the oddity.
Perhaps seeing the butler's shock, the black-robed man added, "It's what they teach in school."
The butler forced a smile. "I never expected schools now would teach such things…"
The butler continued to lead the black-robed man forward. After the brief conversation, he seemed more restrained, but still couldn't help but act as a tour guide as they passed certain items.
"This sculpture is a work by the master sculptor Marlos from five hundred years ago…"
The black-robed man didn't seem particularly interested in the butler's words, but as they passed the hallway, he did stop to take a few extra glances at some of the decorations.
It wasn't that these items were particularly precious, but rather because most of them were either missing hands or feet, seemingly damaged by unruly children. They appeared strangely painful to look at.
After walking for a while longer, passing through the long corridor that circled the entire palace, the black-robed man arrived at the entrance of a room.
The room was very spacious, with dark, mirror-like porcelain tiles on the floor, making one feel as though they were standing in the stars of the universe.
The black-robed man glanced around and noticed a heavy woolen carpet discarded by the door, and some items piled outside the room that seemed to be original decorations of the room.
From their scattered positions, it was clear that these items, which had quietly rested in the Roy Palace for many years, had recently been forcefully thrown out.
The room felt unnervingly empty. Looking further inside, a man was leaning against the soft couch by the window, idly playing with a star beast figurine.
The couch was large, and the man's body was half-submerged in it, making it hard to see his figure clearly. However, his long and powerful legs gave away that he was tall and strong.
The man's fingers, pale and slender, held the figurine with ease. Without seeming to use any force, there was a "crack," and the figurine was instantly damaged.
The three horns on its forehead were reduced to two, just like the other damaged pieces outside.
At the moment the two horns shattered, the black-robed man almost thought he could hear the butler's heart breaking inside his chest.
The man, clearly not expecting the figurine to be so fragile, paused when he looked at the broken pieces in his hand. He then smiled and politely apologized to the butler, saying, "Sorry about that, I broke something again."
The butler's lips trembled, but he still bowed and said, "Your Highness, you are the master of the palace. Everything in Roy Palace belongs to you, so there is no need to apologize to anyone."
The man, who had just seemed embarrassed, lazily stretched his arm and carelessly threw the broken star beast figurine into the trash compactor.
The butler: "…"
The trash compactor made a grinding sound as it operated. The old butler thought to himself that maybe he needed a vacation.
"So, why did you bring this little dark figure here?" After disposing of the trash, Levi finally took a moment to look at the person behind the butler.
He didn't even stand up as he spoke. His golden-brown curly hair, hanging to his shoulders, looked a bit disheveled, like the mane of some wild beast.
This prince had a face that could cause trouble, with a high nose bridge, deep-set eyes, and long lashes that seemed to come with natural eyeliner. When he narrowed his eyes to look at someone, it was impossible to clearly see the color of his pupils.
The butler had not yet recovered from the blow of the destroyed artwork and could only force himself to introduce, "Your Highness, you were feeling bored earlier, and this young gentleman came to Roy Palace to perform a show for you after seeing the cabinet's notice."
"A performance?"
Levi seemed a bit interested and sat up from the couch. A couple of strands of curly hair fell onto his forehead, and after casually brushing them aside with little effect, he decided to leave them as they were.
Leaning forward, he looked at the black-robed man and asked, "Shorty, what do you want to perform?"
This prince was really tall, and even though he was sitting on a low couch, with his upper body bent forward, he was still about the same height as the black-robed man.
Such a physique, even without intentionally showing it, naturally gave off an oppressive feeling. But because this person always wore a lazy smile, it somehow appeared oddly friendly.
Although, if one paid attention, that smile seemed to carry some ill intentions.
The butler also asked, "Would you need any equipment or assistance?"
To everyone's surprise, the black-robed man did not respond. In fact, ever since he entered the room and saw Levi, he fell silent.
It seemed like some emotion was brewing within him, but the heavy black robe covered any attempts at insight.
Seeing that he did not answer, Levi laughed again, "Let me guess, is the performance about a robbery or an assassination?"
As he said the last word, the curve of his lips deepened slightly, showing a hint of unintentional excitement, which made the butler tense up.
However, after scanning the black-robed man up and down, Levi grew bored and lay back down.
"Forget it, with your height, it's probably a bit difficult," he said as he waved his hand lazily. "Butler, give him some supplies and send him out."
"This…"
The butler turned, looking at the black-robed man with suspicion. He and Burke had initially thought the man was someone Levi knew, but now, judging by Levi's attitude, it didn't seem like it.
After being rejected three times, the boy hidden under the black robe didn't seem disheartened.
After hearing Levi's words, the black-robed man stepped in a certain direction.
The butler thought he was about to leave, but to his surprise, he walked over to a round stool in the corner, kicked the heavy rosewood stool to the spot facing the low couch, and sat down.
The black-robed man then took a seat, but the stool was quite high, and his feet still dangled as he sat down.
Not paying attention to these details, he lifted his head, and his cold voice came from beneath the black robe.
"There will be no robbery, no assassination. I just need you to listen to a story."
This series of actions and words made Levi, who had been lounging on the soft couch, raise an eyebrow and reach for the mirror next to him to take a look.
"What are you looking at?" the black-robed man asked.
"Checking if I've become young again," Levi said as he tossed the mirror aside. "Otherwise, how would someone be telling me a bedtime story?"
"…" The black-robed man fell silent, seemingly holding back his emotions.
However, the effect was clearly not very successful, and after a while, in an impatient tone, he blurted, "If you want to listen, then listen. If not, close your ears."
That somewhat arrogant attitude towards being told a story...
The butler froze, fearing that the prince might throw this child out of the window.
Levi was also taken aback. His eyes widened slightly, revealing a flash of icy blue.
But his reaction was different from ordinary people. Instead of getting angry, he seemed to find this very interesting and grinned, showing his canine teeth. "Considering how fierce you are, I suppose I'll reluctantly listen?"
The palace fell silent, and no one spoke for a moment.
The black-robed man sat on the stool facing the soft couch. His figure was slender, but his back remained straight, like a sharp military sword.
Despite forcing others to listen to a story, he seemed to have dug himself a hole, sitting upright for a few minutes without speaking, and the story he was supposed to tell seemed nowhere in sight.
Levi extended his hand and waved it in front of him, teasing, "Hey, need me to teach you how to tell a story?"
From under the heavy black robe, two words jumped out: "Shut up."
The prince remained lazy, not seeming offended. He clicked his tongue and, loud enough for everyone to hear, muttered, "Short and with a temper."
For some reason, the black-robed man, who had been calm, seemed a bit agitated. But in the end, under Levi's gaze, he finally spoke.
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That was the first time Qin Chu heard about the existence of the prince of the empire.
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